Eataly Roma

Europe Italy
1

This place is amazing but would make more sense to me in another country. It’s remarkable to get all kinds of food from all over Italy in one place, but when I’m in Rome I’d rather not spend time in a mall.

That said, they did have things I haven’t seen elsewhere, including dark-roasted coffee (roasters here have switched to medium roasts), obscure rices and flours, and 10-year-old Reggiano. Prices were competitive if not downright low, which is not what I expect from that kind of place.

It was pretty dead at around 3 on a Wednesday, but I hear it can be very crowded on the weekends.

2

Eataly in Rome is interesting. The demise of the old market in Testaccio and the emergence of the nearby sanitized version has left a lot of people cold. My take is that it’s more than a curiosity.

3

The Testaccio market was hopping when we went there, one of the best markets I’ve been to anywhere, ever. If there’s a better place in the city to buy produce, I haven’t found it.